Jelly and Limes
by AnotherJilyShipper
Summary: Another James and Lily fanfic... It's trouble from the word go with James and Lily, but can they get over their differences to help overcome the problems facing them in their sixth year? However, it soon becomes evident that this is much bigger than they'd first thought...
1. First Years

**A/N I first uploaded an unfinished version of this chapter, but I've decided to scrap that and start this story slightly differently. I started this story when I was fourteen and I am now sixteen. You can probably understand GCSEs are a bitch. But now they're finished so I aim to finish this story very very soon and keep regular updates coming :3 I appreciate all constructive criticism and reviews, good or bad, I really do. Happy reading. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: **I think it's fairly obvious that most of the characters aren't mine. Most belong to J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury, and anything you don't recognise is mine.

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><p>As I picked up my Transfiguration books and started to put them into my bag, I realised I'd spent the majority of the lesson daydreaming. I'll be honest, I still felt like an impostor here at Hogwarts, even though I knew it was exactly where I belonged.<p>

I had always known I was somewhat special, but my sister, Petunia, would call me a freak and make me feel ashamed of being different. On a sunny day in a field near our home around a year ago, I had been walking with Petunia when I had first met Severus Snape.

At first, I didn't trust Severus and stayed away from him, something much encouraged by my sister; until one day I ran into him while out on my own. We spoke for a while and after that day we met regularly, and Severus began to tell me about the Wizarding World and of Hogwarts. I thought the things and people he spoke of sounded wonderful, but Petunia was convinced they were all lies. Petunia and I had never got on brilliantly, but after meeting Severus we grew apart, and things got even worse between us after I received my letter from Hogwarts.

Now I looked up at Severus as we left the classroom together. We had been at Hogwarts for a month and most of the first years were settled in already.

'Lily Evans, are you daydreaming again?' he asked me.

'You know this is taking a while to get used to, Sev,' I said, nudging him lightly.

Severus smiled. 'I've got Herbology next with the Ravenclaws, what have you got?' he asked me lightly.

'History of Magic,' I said, my spirits falling. Severus chuckled. He knew I didn't mind the subject, it was who I had to spend the whole lesson sitting _next to_ I disliked.

'Don't laugh, he's so irritating!' I sighed.

'Yes, I of all people would know,' Severus said, his mood darkening a little.

'Oh, right. Sorry,' I blushed, but before I could say any more, James Potter rounded the corner, surrounded by his three best friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

'Speak of the devil,' Severus said under his breath.

'What was that, Snivillus? It's rude to whisper, you know,' Sirius sneered.

Sev was about to reply when I cut him off. 'It's rude to call people names, _you know_.'

'Evans, what are you doing hanging around with a Slytherin? And Snivillus of all of them,' James made a disgusted face. As if his face wasn't disgusting enough already.

'Did you not hear what I just _said,_ James Potter?' I said fiercely.

'No, he didn't. He was too busy staring at your gorgeous red hair,' Sirius said with a wink. Ugh, what a creep. They both annoyed the hell out of me at every chance they got.

'Shove off, Sirius!' James said, half joking, half serious. 'So, Evans, care to accompany us to History of Magic?'

'I think I can make it there fine on my own, thanks,' I said.

'Have it your way,' James said as he walked past. Remus shot me an apologetic look as he passed and followed the others. I rather liked Remus, he was a good friend. Peter was okay, though rather shy. The two I truly couldn't stand were James and Sirius. I hated their arrogance and the way every girl lusted after them. There's no denying they're good looking, but that's no reason to act like they're the bloody best thing on God's green Earth. Severus cleared his throat loudly and I realised I'd been daydreaming again.

'You'd better hurry, or you're going to be late for class,' he told me.

'Uh, right. Thanks, Severus,' I said as I hurried back the way James and the others had gone.

As expected, the lesson went by slowly and painfully. Professor Binns droned on and I made notes I was pretty sure I wouldn't understand when I read them later on. James made it no easier for me to concentrate, distracting me at every opportunity he got. _At least they haven't pulled any stupid pranks this lesson, _I thought. I still remembered last lesson and how I'd showered three times in a row afterwards, trying to get the slime out of my hair. It seemed like I was James and Sirius' favourite target for pranks, and I had a feeling they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Suddenly, a paper aeroplane landed on the desk in front of me. I looked around the classroom to see who'd thrown it, but everyone appeared to either be attempting to concentrate or focusing more on sleeping than the lesson. I turned to the paper aeroplane and gingerly stretched out a hand to touch it. When it didn't explode at my touch, I opened it and read the note inside.

'_Lily! You'll never guess who asked me out today… Alex Durrent, from Hufflepuff!_  
><em>Leila x'<em>

I looked at my fellow Gryffindor best friend, who was now looking back at me, and grinned. There were four other first year Gryffindor girls and I had grown close to them all very quickly. There was Leila Sackur, Julia Ellis, Zoe Swan and Eimear Lacie. I quickly scribbled a note back to Leila and was about to throw it to Leila when it was snatched out of my hand.

'_Potter!_' I exclaimed as loud as I could without Professor Binns noticing.

'Yes, Evans?' James answered casually, holding the paper aeroplane out of my reach.

'Give. It. Back!' I whispered. That idiot had better not read that note, Leila wouldn't want him to get involved.

'Give what back?' James asked innocently.

'Oh Merlin's beard Potter, there is nothing that will interest you in that note, so could you _please_ give it back!?'

'How do I know it isn't about me?' he asked slowly.

'Why on earth would Leila and I be talking about _you_?' I said coldly.

'Ouch Evans, if I were you right now I'd try being _nice_ to me to get the note back,' James said, raising an eyebrow.

Just as I was about to respond, Professor Binns spoke from the front of the classroom.

'James Potter!'

'Erm… yes sir?' James said uncertainly.

'What year was the Goblin Revolution?'

'Well I uh… I don't know sir,' James stammered.

'Well as you had your hand up I was under the impression you knew the answer!' Professor Binns said, frowning. I was enjoying this a little too much.

'No, sorry sir, just… stretching,' James replied, dropping his hand back to his side, where I saw my chance and quickly snatched the note before he could pull anything again. As Professor Binns turned his back on the class to write on the board I childishly stuck my tongue out at him and threw the note over to where Leila was sitting.

'You're no fun Evans, you know that?' James whispered, resting his chin on his hand.

'Thanks, but I really couldn't care less about what _you_ think of me,' I answered coolly.

'Why do you hate me so much? All the other girls love me!'

'How modest of you Potter,' I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

'Alright, that was big headed, I didn't mean it like that,' James said, blushing slightly.

'Yes, you did. And you're always big headed Potter, you strut around the castle like you own the place, and those wretched pranks of your's!' I made a disgusted noise and looked away, annoyed just thinking about them.

'I do not _strut_,' James said, looking quite offended. I just looked at him in response.

'Oh please, you're hardly one to judge me! Look at you! Acting like you know me when you don't really know me at all, and _you're_ the one that _struts_ around the castle!' James exclaimed.

'Mr Potter! Could you _please_ tell me what is so important that you have to interrupt my class?' Professor Binns said from the front, crossing his arms.

James slid down in his seat. 'Sorry, Professor,' he mumbled and glared at me.

'Quite,' Professor Binns said before returning to reading aloud.

'I'm going to get you back, Evans. You don't like our pranks? Well see how you like them after today,' James mumbled.

Was he… _threatening _me!? 'You dare…' I whispered carefully.

_And so the rivalry began._

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><p><strong>AN I plan to start the next chapter at the start of their 6****th**** year. How does that sound? Reviews, suggestions, constructive criticism- it really is welcome, I appreciate **_**all **_**reviews. Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Hogwarts Express

**A/N Just to avoid confusion, I'm going to tell you now that this chapter starts at the start of Lily and James' 6****th**** year.**

**DISCLAIMER: **I think it's fairly obvious that most of the characters aren't mine. Most belong to J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury, and anything you don't recognise is mine.

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><p>I sighed as I folded the last of my Hogwarts robes and put them in my trunk, ready to take to Hogwarts. I was glad to be going back, not that I hated the time spent with my family, but quite honestly I missed the castle. I missed the library and my classes, and of course my crazy friends. I<em> had<em> enjoyed the summer at home though, my muggle parents were always happy to see me, which is certainly something I couldn't say about Petunia. Petunia now had a boyfriend, a boyfriend who hated magic just as much as she did. His name was Vernon, and I saw him as yet another reason to avoid my sister as much as possible.

'Lily! Are you packed?' my mother called up the stairs.

'Just finished mum,' I called back. I took one last look around my room before dragging the trunk off my bed and onto the landing.

'Let me take that, Lils,' my dad smiled down at me as he took the trunk from me and carried it down the stairs. I was about to follow him when my mother called, 'Don't forget to say goodbye to Petunia and Vernon before you go!' Damn. I'd been hoping to get out of the house without having to exchange awkward goodbyes with those two. I knocked on Petunia's bedroom door and a shrill voice called, 'Come in!' When I opened the door Petunia looked me up and down and sneered, 'Oh. It's you.'

'Yes, it's me,' I sighed. 'I've come to say goodbye to you both.'

'Before you leave for freak school?' Petunia said, sneering.

'_Hogwarts_, Tuney,' I rubbed my temples_. I will not get angry, _I chanted inwardly.

'Whatever. Goodbye,' Vernon said, turning his back on me and waving a hand dismissively.

'Yes, goodbye. See if they'll let you stay for Christmas,' Petunia sniggered.

'I'll miss you too, Tuney,' I said, rolling my eyes. I turned my back on them and walked out, leaving the door open. Petunia hated it when I did that.

The car journey to Kings Cross was a pleasant one, especially without having to endure Petunia's hateful comments. I enjoyed having the time to spend with my parents as we chatted lightly and listened to the radio, and we arrived at Kings Cross far too quickly for my liking. After crossing through the barrier that led to platform 9 and ¾, I found an empty compartment and heaved my trunk inside. Suddenly, the compartment door slid open and I was ambushed by two girls.

'Lily! How was your summer?! Merlin, I have so much to tell you! Why didn't you write? Oh that's right, you don't have an owl. Well, never mind, that leaves us more to talk about now!' As Julia spoke I glanced at Leila, who rolled her eyes but grinned.

'Julia, don't scare the poor girl,' Leila said, pushing her friend lightly on the shoulder.

'Oh shush Leila, is it a crime to miss my friends over the summer?' Julia said, giving me yet another hug. 'Where are Zoe and Eimear, anyway?'

'I don't know, not here yet I suppose. You know how Zoe's always late,' I smiled.

As if on cue, Eimear appeared in the doorway, looking somewhat hassled. 'Hello chums,' she said, giving us a wink.

'Eimear!' Julia exclaimed, hugging her too. 'How are you?'

'Slightly annoyed to be honest,' Eimear began as she threw her trunk on a seat and sat down next to it. 'I bumped into Sirius in the corridor.' We all knew what that meant. 'It took me about 5 minutes just to get past him, he wouldn't stop hassling me.' As Eimear and Julia started talking about Sirius, I looked out of the window at my parents.

'I'm going to say goodbye to my parents,' I told the girls, standing up.

'I'll come with you,' Leila said, following. Leila had grown up in a Wizarding family, and so was slightly fascinated by my parents' muggle tendencies, and my parents were fascinated by everything magical. They embraced it a lot more than Petunia did, that's for sure. We slipped out of the compartment, closing the door behind us.

'Well Julia's glad to be back,' Leila giggled.

'I feel slightly sorry for Eimear, should we have left her to fend for herself in there?' I smirked. Though Eimear was the loudest of us, when Julia got excited there was no stopping her.

'I'm sure she'll be fine. Look, there are your parents!' I turned and saw them standing amongst the witches and wizards and smiled. They looked too ordinary to be there. My mother saw us walking towards them and waved.

'Hello Leila, how are you?' my mother asked.

'I'm great thanks, Mrs Evans! I'm actually looking forward to returning to Hogwarts, to be honest.' Leila said brightly.

'Well it's a good thing you enjoy school,' Leila smiled in response and Mum turned to me. 'Come to say goodbye?'

'Yeah,' I said and gave her a hug.

'I'll miss you, don't forget to write to us! I'm almost getting used to the owls, though I don't think Tuney would be too happy if one arrived while Vernon was over…' Mum said, a worried look on her face. 'Well I suppose she can't keep me from hearing from my youngest daughter!'

'It's fine mum, Tuney and Vermin will just have to get over it. And I'll miss you too!' I added before turning to Dad.

'Be good Lily, but don't forget to enjoy yourself. I can't help but think sometimes you spend too much time in the library,' he said, hugging me. 'Leila, I expect you to make sure she has a little fun once in a while, _outside _the library.'

'Dad, in the library is _where_ I enjoy myself,' I rolled her eyes, but smiled at my dad.

'Well this year I'm not having you skipping any Hogsmeade trips or Quidditch games, okay?' Dad said, winking. Though he had never been to a real game, I had explained the rules of Quidditch to him in first year and since then he had taken quite an interest in the sport.

Leila glanced at the clock. 'Uh, Lily, we'd better go, the train leaves in two minutes.'

'Okay, Goodbye mum, goodbye dad,' I called as we started to walk away.

'Goodbye Mr and Mrs Evans,' Leila said warmly. We both climbed back on the train and started to walk back along the corridor to our compartment when I bumped into something. Or rather, some_one_.

'Evans! Fancy seeing you here,' James Potter winked. 'Sackur,' he added as an afterthought, nodding to Leila.

'Potter, please get out of the way,' I sighed. I had barely been on the train one minute and I didn't have the energy to be dealing with Potter right now. Even the thought of talking to Petunia _and _Potter in the same day made me exhausted.

'But Lily, haven't you missed me?' James asked, blocking my path.

'No,' I said bluntly. 'Now move.'

'What if I say no?' James said, leaning closer.

'Then I'll hex you into the next century. _Move_,' I repeated, much more forcefully this time. James saw I wasn't in the mood and moved to let us pass_. Strange_, I thought, _he usually tries harder_. Once Leila and I were back in the compartment, I collapsed onto the seat nearest the window and was about to open a book when the compartment door was shoved open and Zoe practically fell in.

'Zoe! We thought you were going to miss the train!' Julia said, grabbing Zoe's arm to steady her.

'So did I,' Zoe said and sat down as the train started to move.

'So what's the excuse for being late this time?' Eimear asked, sitting down next to her.

Zoe glared at her. 'No excuse, I'm just late,' she sighed. 'It's a hard habit to break.'

'As long as you made it here on time,' Eimear said, putting an arm around Zoe.

'So Lily,' Zoe turned to me. 'You're the only one who hasn't been able to write back to any of us, so?'

'So what?' I asked.

'Your OWL results!' Zoe explained.

'Let me guess, straight Os,' Eimear grinned.

'Almost. I got an E in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures and an A in Divination,' I said.

'Seriously? You've got to be the only person in the year who got an O in History of Magic and Ancient Runes!' Leila said.

'I don't know,' Eimear shook her head. 'My parents were barking on at me about how Sirius' family said he'd got a lot of Os.'

Eimear's family, being pureblood, was quite close to Sirius'. They were almost identical- they both had a family of Slytherins and a younger sibling they disliked. Neither of them got along with their parents and the only major difference was the strong Irish accent Eimear's family all had.

'Forget about them Eimear, they aren't worth it,' Julia smiled sympathetically.

I listened to the others chatting for a while, joining in occasionally, but generally enjoying spending time with my friends again. I was really starting to relax and was thinking about taking a nap when Remus appeared in the doorway.

'Lily, are you coming?' he asked.

Coming where? Had I missed something? 'Coming to what?'

'The prefects meeting…' I jumped up; I couldn't believe I'd forgotten. Walking out of the compartment, I grabbed Remus' arm and dragged him to the prefects' compartment, walking fast so that Remus had to hurry to keep up.

'It's okay, you're not late. I just thought I'd pick you up on my way there,' Remus explained.

'Oh, okay,' I said, slowing down. 'I thought you'd all been waiting for me or something. I don't understand why I forgot! I'm usually pretty organised…'

'Calm down Lily, everyone has their off days,' Remus smiled at me as he opened the door to find most of the prefects and the Head boy and girl already inside.

'Remus, Lily,' the head girl, Emma Holmes, nodded to us. 'Now we're just waiting for the Slytherins.' Remus sat down and I sat in the empty seat next to him, and we chatted lightly about the holidays for ten minutes until the Slytherins finally walked in.

'You're five minutes late,' Michael Ellis, the head boy, said with obvious dislike. The Slytherins just sneered. I spent the whole meeting only half listening; I was looking at the other prefects. The two Gryffindor fifth year prefects were Jamie Smith and Ashleigh Gallant. I knew Ashleigh rather well, but Jamie was a friend of the Marauders- especially Sirius Black. It suddenly struck me how little I spoke to some of the other people in my house. Other than the girls I shared a room with and the Gryffindor boys in my class, I couldn't name any other Gryffindors that I spoke to everyday. _Wow, _I thought. _Five years here and I still don't know half the people that I'm living with very well._ Deciding there and then that I'd make more of an effort, I turned my thoughts to the Slytherin prefects. The sixth year prefects were Sophie Gates and… Severus Snape. I refused to let myself think about him or even look at him after what happened at the end of last year. I doubted I would ever forgive him. The fifth year Slytherin prefects I knew rather well, from having to punish them so often for getting into fights _last_ year. Their names were Saffron Webb and Marcus Tait. I didn't know why Professor Dumbledore had chosen them as prefects, but I daren't question the headmaster's judgement. The Ravenclaw prefects in my year were Josh Day and Megan Taylor, but I wasn't sure of the fifth years' names. I vaguely remembered them as Marian and Rory, twins. Last but not least there were the Hufflepuff prefects. The sixth years were Alex Durrent, Leila's ex-boyfriend, and Cassie Hopkins. I didn't mind those two, though I didn't speak to them often. The fifth year Hufflepuff prefects both looked rather nervous, and I recognised them as Iona Murphy and Stephen Tel.

'Well, that's it for this time!' Michael announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. 'Thanks for coming everyone,' he added, smiling at us all, but avoiding the Slytherins. Everyone started to get up and leave the compartment and Remus and I followed.

'So how was the summer with your sister?' Remus asked once we were walking along the corridor alone. Remus was the one person who knew the most about Petunia, about how she tried her absolute hardest to make my life hell. My other friends knew she was a nightmare, but I had only ever explained it in full detail to Remus, and I found him very understanding. There was something about that boy that made you want to confide in him.

'Severely unpleasant, as always,' I sighed. 'And now she has a boyfriend.'

'Is he… nice?' Remus asked.

'Not in the slightest. He hates magic just as much as she does. And he hates me,' I added.

'I see,' he nodded. 'What's his name?'

'Vernon. Or as I like to call him, Vermin,' I said, winking. Remus chuckled.

'Inventive as always, Evans,' he grinned at me as we stopped outside the compartment where my friends were making a racket inside. 'I'll see you later, at the feast.'

'Yeah, see you later Remus!' I called, stepping inside.

'Aah, here's our dear friend Lily, who, although we haven't seen her all summer, is now going to ignore us all and curl up by the window with a book. Am I right?' Zoe said, smiling.

'You know me too well,' I said as I started to read.

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><p><strong>AN I tried to make this chapter longer, but I'm not even sure if I like it or not. Ah well, don't forget to leave me a review! I really love hearing what you think and I appreciate the constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Compromise

**A/N I think it's about time I got started on the 3rdchapter… sorry for the wait! I now have an editor and he's going to make me write faster and try and organise the ideas I have for this story- he also helped me out with a bit of this chapter (I've been told to say "My favouritest friend Jamie gave me some fantastic ideas, but how I write is completely my own!") There you go Jamie ;D**

**Also, he helped me sort out some character profiles of my OCs (Julia, Leila etc - pictures and all!) and I thought you guys might be interested in seeing those? I might post them when the story's finished, but if I get any requests it could be sooner ;)**

**Lastly, I got the most wonderful review fromMothBonesthat really made my day! In answer to your question, it's rated T because I did have some things planned later on but I don't think that's happening now. I will keep it as that though, in case it does happen and this way I can write what I want ;3 Thank you so much :D**

**DISCLAIMER:**I think it's fairly obvious that most of the characters aren't mine. Most belong to J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury, and anything you don't recognise is mine.

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><p>I had just finished my book when Leila poked my shoulder. 'Time to get in your Hogwarts robes, Lily!'<p>

'Okay, I'll be right back,' I said, closing my book and grabbing my clothes from my trunk. When I walked back into the compartment all the girls were changed and deep in conversation.

'Oh hey Lily,' Leila smiled. 'So, who's up for a bet?'

'What kind of bet?' I asked, sitting down next to her.

'Ten Sickles says James will ask you out within the first ten minutes of the feast,' Leila winked.

'I say fifteen minutes,' Julia grinned. 'Zoe?'

'Five!' Zoe said, nudging Eimear.

Eimear sighed. 'I say twenty-two minutes and thirty-eight seconds.'

'Bit specific Eimear, I sense some cheating going on!' Leila said, giggling.

'Nope, just a random number,' Eimear said. 'I'll time it!'

'You're on,' Julia said. I rolled my eyes, but I knew the girls' guesses weren't unreasonable.

'Don't I get to bet?' I asked.

'No, you could influence him somehow… encourage him or something, I don't know,' Leila giggled and the others nodded, smirking.

'Oh you know I'd _never _encourage that, even if it was for ten sickles!' I argued. Gross.

'Suuuure you wouldn't,' Julia said, but kept talking quickly before I had a chance to protest. '_Anyway_, you haven't told us anything about your holiday! You've had your head buried in that bloody book for most of the train journey,' she scowled a little. 'Care to share with us how amazing it was to spend six long weeks with that _darling_ sister of yours?' I snorted, picking up on the sarcasm.

'Whatever you're imagining, times it by two because…' I looked around at my friends and sighed. 'Tuney's got herself a boyfriend.'

As expected, the girls all burst out laughing.

'No way!' Leila choked. 'How bad is he? How _ugly_ is he? Tell us everything!'

I rolled my eyes but launched into an explanation Vernon none the less.

'He's vile. His name is Vernon, but I like to call him Vermin,' I said, which earned me a few giggles. 'He's fat and ugly and he's this weird pink colour all the time. And oh god, he's got a freaking squirrel under his nose!' More giggles from the girls. 'Oh, and he's just plain horrid. He's rude and hates me just as much as Tuney does, maybe even more. And he _hates_ magic.' I sighed. As much as I liked taking the mickey out of Vermin with the girls, I'd rather be thinking of Hogwarts right now. I much preferred my home _here_ to my home in the muggle world.

'Well you're here now, away from the big meany,' Leila said. It was as if she could read my mind. I swear she does that sometimes; it's a great quality in a best friend, but not so good when you want to keep something a secret.

'Yeah, and thank god for that. But hey, Julia, what happened with that guy you told me about in your letters?' I asked, wiggling my eyebrows a little. She'd written to me over the summer about a muggle boy she liked. The stuff she wrote sounded like the things you'd read in romance novels, so I was pretty keen to find out what had happened there. Suddenly Julia was in her element: talking about boys.

'Oh he was amazing! He actually showed up at my window in the middle of the night, it was like something out of a story!' She started to gush. 'Seriously, everything about him is so perfect, it's such a shame he's a muggle…'

Julia was a muggle born, like me, and so lived as a muggle during the summer holidays. For a sunny six weeks she'd put down her wand and everything else remotely magical and would go back to her old life, the life she had before finding out she was a witch. Well, everything except her owl. Being Julia, she just couldn't lose touch with her friends and of course Hermes, her owl, needed looking after, so Hermes was the only reminder of Hogwarts she kept during the holidays.

'Julia, my mum's a muggle and my dad's a wizard and they've been together for decades!' Zoe said. 'It could work out.'

Julia sighed. 'Well, even if it did, I wouldn't be able to date him while I'm still at school. It just wouldn't work.'

'I suppose, but once you're done with school you should give it a try. Having a muggle in the house is funny sometimes,' Zoe said dreamily, thinking of her mother. Her mother was still occasionally surprised by the magic in the house and it made Zoe and her father laugh. She worked as a muggle artist, something she was very good at, and a talent Zoe had also inherited. She loved to hear the stories of her parents when they were younger, how her father would cast spells on her mother's drawings to make them come alive on the page.

'Maybe,' Julia said as the train drew to a stop at Hogsmeade station. 'Merlin, we're already here? Quick, could you pass me my trunk Zoe!?' We all scrambled to get our stuff together as students were herded towards the carriages.

'Help me out here, Lily?' Eimear asked, trying to wrestle her cat, Marzipan, into her cage. I sighed. I loved cats, but Marzipan was known for being a bit of a handful. The train was empty by the time the cat was safely in her cage with the help of Leila, Eimear, and myself; and we all had the scratch marks to prove it. Us three girls were the last off the train and walked out onto the platform to see Julia and Zoe arguing with four boys I had_ not_ planned on running into just yet. Not again.

'Sirius, just give it back and I won't hurt you,' Julia said, holding out her hand impatiently. Sirius was holding something high above her head, and though Julia was the tallest of us Gryffindor girls, she was still too short to reach it. Sirius was about to respond when he spotted Leila, Eimear and I making our way towards them.

'I'll give it back… in exchange for a kiss from Miss Lacie,' he said, his eyes not leaving Eimear.

'Remus, help me out?' I heard Zoe mutter. It was then I noticed what Sirius was holding: Zoe's notepad. Zoe carried it with her at all times, but she didn't like people going through it. Only her closest friends were allowed to flip through her drawings when they wanted. And that did _not_ include Sirius Black.

'Sirius, just give it back, we're going to miss the carriages,' Remus said firmly. Sirius looked as though he had no intention of obeying Remus but before he could refuse, Eimear joined in.

'Sirius, that notepad is really personal to Zoe, you know that. Give it back.'

'Fine,' Sirius said, tossing the notepad to Remus, who passed it to Zoe with a shy smile.

'Um guys? Wasn't that the last carriage?' Leila said, pointing up the path to where a carriage was being pulled away. No, this could not be happening!

'Oh shit, Sirius you tool!' Potter said as he started to sprint after the carriage, all of us following behind. 'WAIT! WAIT FOR US!'

I was the first to come to a stop, realising we just weren't going to make it. We all watched the carriage until it was out of sight, before turning our glares to Sirius.

'What!? I didn't think we'd miss the carriages! Plus, we can just walk,' he shrugged.

'I. Am. Not. Walking!' Julia said, hitting him with each syllable.

'Well then how exactly do you plan on getting there?' he asked, shielding himself behind Peter.

Suddenly a light bulb went on in my head. 'Hagrid!' I exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at me with confused faces. Didn't they get it?

'Uh, Evans? He's not here right now…' Potter said, going to put an arm around my shoulder, then thinking better of it. Ha.

'No, Potter… Hagrid and the first years! We could get there on the boats!' I explained.

'Merlin Lily you're a genius!' Eimear said.

'I could kiss you!' Sirius said, which earned him a glare from not just me, but James too.

'Come on, we'd better catch them before they leave us behind too,' I said, leading the way quickly. I started to walk with Eimear by my side, but as soon as I opened my mouth to speak I was pushed aside by Sirius, who started to tell Eimear how great she was looking in her robes. Not a conversation I wanted to get involved in. I quickly turned to walk someone else when Potter linked arms with me.

'Potter, now is not the time. It's your fault we're stuck in this mess,' I sighed, trying – and failing – to unlink my arm from his.

'My fault? Excuse me, but that was all Sirius back there!' He argued.

'Oh sure, I'm sure you had no involvement whatsoever.'

'I didn't, I swear! Actually, I only got off the train a minute or two before you.'

'Why were you so late off?' I asked.

'Actually… I was looking for you,' he said, looking a little sheepish.

For me? 'Why?'

'My family and I went away over the summer to France and I uh, I got you something,' he unlinked his arm (though admittedly I had forgotten it was even there) and pulled a note out of his pocket.

'Potter, you shouldn't have got me anything,' I was slightly irritated at myself for blushing, but annoyed at Potter too for making me feel guilty about getting me something.

'I know, don't feel bad Lily, really. I wasn't planning on getting anything but I remembered you saying back in fourth year how you've always wanted to go to Paris and well…' he tapped the small piece of paper in his hand with the tip of his wand and it folded itself into a small statue of the Eiffel Tower.

'It's adorable!' I said, momentarily forgetting it was Potter who I was talking to and talking it with a smile. I admired it and looked up to thank him, but a large silhouette caught my eye.

'HAGRID!' I screamed and I started running towards him. Soon my shouts were drowned out by the other yells and calls of the eight Sixth Years following behind.

'What are you lot doin' out here?' Hagrid asked as I stopped in front of him and tried to catch my breath. If PE was a class at Hogwarts, I certainly wouldn't be getting Os in_ that_ class.

'We missed… the carriages!… Sirius…' I wheezed.

'Sirius?' he asked. 'No more explanation needed Lils!'

'You called?' Came Sirius' voice as he strolled up to the group of out of breath sixteen year olds.

'Aye, you've been making trouble again, I hear,' Hagrid shook his head. 'So I suppose you'd like a lift in the old boats?'

'Yes please, Hagrid,' Remus said.

'Well you'd best hurry up, these first years are late enough already- one lost his pet on the way up, took a while to find it. Two to a boat, since you're quite a bit bigger than this lot,' he said, a large thumb gesturing to the group of first years waiting to go.

I climbed in first, expecting Leila or one of the girls to follow, but I really shouldn't have been surprised when Potter sat down opposite me.

'Potter…' I sighed. He just winked in response. I looked over his shoulder to see Sirius talking to a first year.

'Don't worry, the giant squid only ate fourteen first years last year, when I was in first year he almost ate me! If it hadn't have been for my excellent wand work and swimming skills I wouldn't be here today to tell the tale…' He was saying.

'SIRIUS!' I yelled. That prat can't scare the first years before they even got to the castle! He gave me a wink and walked away from the now-trembling first year. He jumped into a boat with Peter, Remus with Zoe, Eimear with Leila and Julia with Hagrid. Julia was quite matey with Hagrid, as was I, so she didn't mind sharing with him- though she looked a little squished.

As the boats set off a sudden thought struck me.

'Potter, I've never told you I love France. In fact, I've only ever told the girls.'

Potter looked like a deer caught in headlights. 'Ah, yes. Um, you see…' He stuttered, turning to Remus for help, who shrugged.

'What have you done Potter? Spit it out, I know the recipe for Veritaserum,' I warned. I was getting worried now.

James sighed. He obviously couldn't see a way out of this one. 'Sirius and I installed cameras and bugs in your room from Zonko's. But it was only for a day! And we didn't see anyone _completely _naked, I swear!'

Suddenly, in a lot of splashing and rocking boats, all the girls were facing James. 'WHAT?!' They shrieked, making the first years stare.

'It was two years ago! I'm sorry! It was Sirius' idea- and Peter helped!' he stammered.

'Remus?' Zoe said, turning to the boy next to her.

'I had no involvement, really Zoe, the only thing I did see was purely by accident,' he said, going red in the face.

'You guys are sick! We could get you expelled for that!' Eimear shouted, rocking her boat so much that Leila almost fell in.

'More than expelled, we could take you to the Ministry!' Julia joined in.

'Now now, can't you lot save this fer later? Don't want to ruin this fer the first years…' Hagrid tried, but Sirius cut across him.

'Hey, it was only a day girls! Less than that, actually, since we felt guilty and took them down pretty quickly,' he said.

I whipped my head round to glare at him. 'Sirius! Don't you see how serious this is!?' Sirius snickered, but quickly realised it had been a bad idea. That sleaze! 'IT'S. NOT. FUNNY!' I screamed, splashing him until he was considerably wet.

'Woah! That's enough!' Hagrid tried again, but Sirius was determined on getting his revenge. Before anyone could stop him, he pointed his wand at the boat James and I were sitting in and shouted '_Evanesco!_'

With a splash, the boat vanished into thin air, leaving James and I to fall into the lake. James was the first to surface.

'SIRIUS YOU PRAT,' he yelled, quickly grabbing on to the side of Sirius' boat and flipping it over. Sirius was thrown into the lake and Peter fell into Eimear and Leila's boat, tipping them over too.

'I can't swim!' Peter shouted, gripping onto Julia and Hagrid's boat. As Hagrid was hauling him out of the water, Leila surfaced behind them and shot a spell at Sirius. Sirius ducked at the last minute and the spell hit three of the gawping first years, throwing them into the water.

Everyone froze and watched the spot where the three small wizards had fallen in, and the second their heads broke the surface again all hell broke loose.

The first years started tackling their friends, some throwing each other in the lake while some tried desperately to stay above water. Sirius appeared underneath Peter and Zoe's boat, lifting it over his head until he could stand the weight no more and they all fell in. Julia was hit by a spell James had aimed at Sirius and she was thrown back into the water, taking the boat, Peter and Hagrid with her. This was_ not_ good.

'POTTER!' I screamed, swimming up next to James. 'This is all your fault!'

'Mine!? What about Sirius?' He yelled back over the shouts and splashes.

I opened my mouth to shout back but Potter's eyes widened and in a flash he pulled us both underwater. I couldn't breathe! I tried to open my eyes but the water was too thick, so I struggled against his hold until he let me go, kicking up to the surface.

'JAMES POTTER, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? YOU COULD HAVE DROWNED ME!' I screamed once I'd got my breath back.

'Evans, I was pushing you out of the way of a spell, calm down!'

'CALM DOWN!? I COULD HAVE DROWNED!' And before anyone could anything about it, I'd pulled my wand out and James was hanging by one foot in the air. That prat deserved it, trying to drown me!

'EVANS! Get me down!'

Slowly the commotion around us stopped as all the first years turned to gawk at the boy hanging in mid-air, unable to get down.

'Evans, I'm serious-' Potter was cut off by Sirius' shout of 'No, _I'm_ Sirius!' but chose to ignore it. 'I'm serious, let me down.'

He thought he was getting away with it that easily? Ooooh no. 'James Potter, first I find out that you and your friends have committed a serious crime, then you throw us and all the first years into the lake and _then_ you try to drown me?'

'I told you, that spell was going to hit you!'

'Alright alright, stop arguing, the both of you,' Hagrid appeared between us. 'Now, I can't say yer not gonna get a punishment fer this but you can at least help me out. Lily, if you could just let James down that'd be great.'

I scowled but didn't argue with Hagrid. With a splash Potter fell head-first into the water and I couldn't stop the small smirk that appeared.

'Right, that's a start,' Hagrid said, frowning at the gasping James. 'Right, everyone back-'

'I'll take it from here, Hagrid,' said a stern voice from behind Julia, who jumped.

_Oh no,_ I thought_. I know that voice_. I turned to see a boat gliding towards us, McGonagall atop it, and gulped.

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><p><strong>AN Does that count as a cliff hanger? I don't think it does.. But hey, I finally finished the 3****rd**** chapter! Thanks for reading guys, and if you have the time please review! x**


	4. A Feast, a Bet and a Prank

**A/N I'm writing this on my phone (as I just found out it's possible!) so I apologise for any typos and I'll fix them later :3 You guys have no idea how happy it makes me seeing someone has voted or liked my chapter, I love you guys c': Also thanks to my editor Jamie who read it through as I went along :D This one is dedicated to him and you should go check out his story! It's on and it's called 'The Life And Times of Sirius Black' and I'm seriously loving it so far so check it out! :D Happy reading c:**

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><p>The sorting ceremony was over by the time us nine Gryffindor sixth years walked out of McGonagall's office. We'd <em>somehow<em> avoided detention but we still each had 10 points taken away from us, leaving Gryffindor at minus 90 points before the school year had even begun. The first years had had to be sorted into their respective houses dripping wet, something that made even the Sorting Hat laugh.

'We're going to have to work our arses off to get those points back quickly or the whole house is going to hate us,' Julia grumbled.

I nodded in agreement. I'd already been thinking up ways to earn back the points we'd lost.

'Girls, how about you try relaxing for once? Gryffindor will still win the house cup easy,' Sirius yawned.

'Shut up Sirius,' Eimear snapped. 'This is all your fault anyway.'

'Eimear babe, don't be like that!' Sirius went to put an arm around her but she wacked it away.

As we neared the entrance to the Great Hall James stopped. 'Ah, Sirius, I'm gonna go fetch the _thing_ from my trunk quickly. You go ahead; I'll meet you in there.'

'The _thing_? What thing? Potter!' I yelled after him as he jogged up the stairs.

'Don't you worry your pretty little head Evans!' I heard him say as he disappeared from view.

'Oh I'm worrying,' I mumbled to Leila as we walked through to the Great Hall, but I let it drop, already sick and tired of Potter for the day.

Every head in the room turned to us soaked sixth years as we walked to our seats. A couple of Ravenclaws cheered and whooped, knowing we'd obviously been up to something. The Hufflepuffs giggled and stared questioningly, while sniggers and crude jokes were yelled from the Slytherins, though who would expect any less? I glanced over to their table and my eye was instantly drawn to the pale skinny boy with long black hair staring right at me. Severus Snape. My best friend. The person you'd least expect to call me a _mudblood_. As our eyes met Snape lifted his hand to wave but I abruptly broke eye contact. I'd been ignoring his letters of apology all summer. Not that I could write back anyway, without an owl. He'd chosen his side and I'd chosen mine.

I couldn't think about Snape now. It hurt too much; this was supposed to be a happy feast. Keeping my mind off Snape as much as I could, I spied a damp first year sitting on the Gryffindor table by the wall and sat down next to her. The girl smiled up at me, obviously quite confident.

'Hi, I'm Johanna Paterson,' she beamed. 'What you and your friends did was hilarious, thanks for the welcome!'

I gave her a relaxed smile. 'I'm glad you enjoyed it, but get used to it. Those four boys are always pulling stunts like that. I'm Lily Evans by the way.'

'I know, you're a Gryffindor Prefect,' I was shocked Johanna already knew that but let her carry on. 'I want to be a prefect. If you ever need any help I'll be there. Consider it as having an apprentice.'

I laughed. 'I don't think you'll be able to come out on prefect duty with me but I'll keep that in mind!' I said, smiling. Johanna smiled back before turning to a group of equally damp students and joining in with their conversation.

'Got yourself a fan already Lils?' Zoe asked.

'Funny,' I stuck my tongue out. 'Hey, is that bet is on or is it invalid now?'

'Oh it's on, I'll start keeping time as soon as James walks in,' Eimear smirked.

Julia giggled. 'So I was 15 minutes, Leila was 10 minutes, Zoe was 5 minutes and Eimear was 22 minutes and 38 seconds!' Each girl nodded in agreement. 'The closest bet wins.' As if on cue, James Potter chose that moment to enter the hall.

'Go!' whispered Leila to Eimear.

James walked right up to us and sat himself down in between Remus (who had been talking to Peter and Sirius) and me.

'Looking good Evans,' James winked.

'Potter, spare me the flattery and just tell me what you've done so I can at least get out the way of it.'

'Evans, Evans, Evans,' James tutted, shaking his head dramatically. 'So quick to assume!'

'I know you've got some kind of prank ready and I simply don't want to be hit by it,' I stated.

He sighed. 'In that case,' he whispered, leaning into my ear, making my heart beat a little quicker, though I didn't like to admit. (What? I'd never even kissed a boy, and Potter was hot. I'd just never _ever_ tell him that.) 'You may want to stay away from the chicken.'

'Wait, wha-?' I was left puzzled as James straightened up and didn't say another word.

'A minute and a half,' Eimear whispered, looking at her watch.

Suddenly, with a few gasps from the muggle-born first years, the plates in front of them filled with food. Sure enough, the main meat spaced down each table was chicken. I shot a glance at James who gave me a wink before saying 'No thanks,' to Peter as he offered him some.

We ate and chatted, Eimear looking at her watch every few minutes. When it got to 10 and a half minutes, James turned to me again. Leila grinned as he said, 'Enjoying the chicken, girls?'

'We haven't had any, James,' Zoe said.

'It looks awfully tempting though. Why don't you try some? Leila?' He picked some up and offered some to her and Leila shook her head.

'I'm not planning on getting caught up in any of your pranks, Potter.'

'Suit yourself,' he shrugged and placed the chicken in his mouth, chewing and swallowing without taking his eyes off us astonished girls. Laughing, he went to turn back to Remus when I grabbed him.

'Potter, you told us not to eat the chicken. Why are YOU eating the chicken!?' I asked.

'Who says I can't have a little fun now and then?' he said with a wink. Much to my annoyance, he refused to say any more than that, no matter how much I pestered him.

Eimear leaned over and whispered, '12 minutes,' as people around us were finishing their plates and the last of the chicken. Before anyone else could take it, Julia quickly leaned over and grabbed the last bit of chicken near us and popped it in her mouth.

'Julia! What are you doing!?' Zoe asked, eyes wide.

'I want to see what this 'fun' James is talking about is,' Julia shrugged. I had a bad feeling about this. We all stared at Julia for a minute, waiting for something to happen.

'Well nothing's going to happen straight away, is it?' Julia snapped.

'You ate the chicken Julia?' Remus asked.

'Yeah,' she shrugged. 'Curious.'

'Curiousity killed the cat!' Leila stated.

Julia stuck her tongue out and replied, 'Satisfaction brought it back,' earning her a few laughs.

'Don't worry Julia, it'll be fun, us two,' James winked, though Julia was starting to look doubtful.

I turned to Eimear, sitting across from me, and motioned the time.

'15 minutes and a bit,' Eimear said, but caught the attention of Sirius.

'15 minutes until what? What have you got planned?' he asked us, and I felt my face turning slightly red.

'Uhh, it's nothing Sirius. Just a little bet.'

'Ooh I love bets!' Potter joined in. 'What is it?'

'We can't tell you,' I said firmly while shooting a look at the other girls making sure they wouldn't blab. The last thing I needed was for Potter to know we'd been talking about him; more to the point, him asking me out.

I prepared myself for Potter to keep pushing for an answer, but surprisingly, it didn't come. Maybe he's finally learnt his lesson? Impossible. This is Potter we're talking about. I turned to Peter to see him glance nervously at his watch too. He caught me looking and was about to mumble some half-decent excuse when I held my hand up and said, 'I don't want to know. I don't want to be involved in this at all.' I knew I couldn't stop it, but I could at least step back and have nothing to do with it. He nodded to me and mumbled, '2 minutes,' to the boys.

A boy appeared at the door of the Great Hall, spotted the Marauders and made his way towards them.

'Who's that?' I asked James as the boy sat across from us.

'Evans, meet Jamie Smith,' Potter said, and Jamie grinned.

'She knows me James, I'm a prefect remember?' Of course, the guy who prefects with Ashleigh!

'Ah yes, speaking of, everything sorted?' James asked.

'Wait, you've even got the fifth year prefects in on your prank?' I scowled.

'Just the one,' Jamie winked. 'Ashleigh decided she'd rather keep her prefect position for more than a day. I, however, am perfectly fine of being stripped of my duties.'

Ignoring James' sniggers at the word 'stripped', I asked, 'Wait, so… you _want_ to get caught so you don't have to be a prefect?'

'Exactly! Which is why I was more than happy when James asked me to be a part of his plan.'

Peter leaned over, and hastily whispered, '1 minute!'

I started to feel seriously worried and cast a quick glance at Julia, who was fiddling with her short black ponytail. Okay, she wasn't blowing up or turning into an animal yet.

Potter was grinning, watching me squirm. What an idiot. Jamie started drumming on the table, waiting for the show to start, and the rest of the marauders looked just as apprehensive. The girls were looking around the hall, looking for some sort of change to the usual environment of the Great Hall.

'Bloody hell!' Sirius erupted. 'How long does it talk for one bloody minute to pass?!'

At that, Peter looked up from his watch and muttered, 'About that long.'

On his words, the remaining chicken on every table rose into the air- along with everyone who'd eaten some. Julia shrieked and tried to grab onto Eimear, but kept rising higher. James was laughing and cheering as he rose. 'Do a flip!' Sirius shouted up at him.

Looking around, I noticed that almost_ everyone_ had eaten the chicken; including McGonagall, Hagrid, Slughorn and surprisingly, Dumbledore. I knew for certain that the headmaster had known this would happen, though I didn't know how, but he still seemed to want to be a part of it. I smiled despite myself; I did admire the wacky wizard. Suddenly, someone screamed over on the Slytherin table and I recognised it as Bellatrix Lestrange. There were few people I could accurately describe as _evil_, but Bella was one of them. As I looked around, everyone in the air had started changing colours: first pink, then red, then orange, then yellow and so on. Potter was still laughing hysterically and Julia seemed like she was starting to enjoy herself. A small part of me kind of wished_ I'd_ eaten the chicken, too.

Suddenly, Potter appeared in front of my face, flying upside-down.

'So Evans,' he said, glowing bright purple. 'How would you fancy spending the next Hogsmeade weekend with me?'

Laughing, Eimear looked at her watch. 'Twenty-two minutes and thirty-eight seconds! Yes! You all owe me ten sickles each!'

'No way!' Leila said. 'You must've cheated!'

'Hand on heart, it was a complete guess,' Eimear said, grinning.

Laughing, I almost forgot about the now-green boy hanging in the air in front of me. I was about to simply reject him, but, feeling strangely cheerful, I decided to have a little fun. I leaned in towards his face until our noses were almost touching, glancing at his lips every so often. Potter's breathing quickened and he closed his eyes, leaning in. I waited for a second, watching his skin turn to blue, before laughing and shoving him so that he spun uncontrollably in the air.

'Evans! You tease!' he yelled, trying to gain control and stop spinning but failing.

'Oh come on Potter, you were loving that,' I giggled. Potter crossed his arms and tried to act miffed, but that was hard to do when he was still spinning uncontrollably in the air.

I noticed that my friends – excluding the floating Julia – were all staring open-mouthed at me. Okay, I knew that had been pretty out of character for me, but there was no need to act so surprised. I knew I was going to hear about this later. I stuck my tongue out at them all and told them to stop gawking, when Potter (having regained control of his spinning) grabbed me and hoisted me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, lifting me into the air with him.

'POTTER!' I screamed as we rose higher. 'OKAY, NOT FUNNY. PUT ME DOWN.' I hated heights. From standing on the edge of the Astronomy Tower to riding on a broom, heights were one of my biggest fears. This was _not happening._

'I'm not putting you down until you agree to that date,' Potter chuckled, holding me at the waist now so he could look at me. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to forget how high up I was. Sure, flying was fun, but I was just too scared of falling.

'Lily?' Potter asked, uncertain. I realised I'd left him hanging and opened one eye. I smirked slightly at his yellow skin and tried to sound as though I wasn't phased at all by the lack of ground at my feet.

'In your dreams Potter. Put me down.'

'Oh kitten, wrong answer,' Potter tutted.

'Kitte-?' I started, before Potter threw me higher into the air. I screamed, not caring if the entire school was looking, and when Potter caught me again I clung to him as tight as I could.

'James! She's terrified of heights you plonker!' Leila yelled up at us. I just whimpered.

'Oh shit,' Potter cursed, and flew us down until he could go no lower and I was standing on the table, shaking slightly. 'You should've said, Lily.'

I scowled at him, trying to collect myself. 'Maybe if you hadn't snatched me so quickly, I would've had a chance to.'

Most of the Gryffindor table were getting ready for another legendary James-and-Lily fight, and they would have got one hadn't it been that by that point the teachers (minus Hagrid) had gained control of their flight and McGonagall appeared, hovering beside Potter. Looking around, I saw each head of house was hovering or standing next to their house's table; all at once they muttered a spell and the floating students around them slowly drifted to the ground. Though they were all obeying the laws of gravity again, their skin was still changing colours.

McGonagall marched up to the Marauders and told all four of them to hold out their hands. I had no idea what she was looking for, but the boys seemed to be clean as she looked annoyed and turned to Jamie.

'Hold out your hands, Smith,' McGonagall ordered.

Slowly, Jamie held his hands in front of him, revealing a metallic liquid covering them. I had no idea what it was, but I realised this must have been what McGonagall had been looking for as she grabbed his wrist and marched him out of the hall; but not before he turned to me and gave me a quick wink.

The noise level rose as the adrenaline-filled students found their friends to talk about what had just happened. I watched as Dumbledore stood up from the professors' table, his purple skin matching his robes. He clapped once and the sound echoed throughout the hall, seeming to travel around the room and back like a boomerang.

Silence filled the hall as Dumbledore spoke. 'Well, after such an eventful feast, I'm sure we're all ready to get some rest,' he smiled and gestured towards the big double doors at the opposite end of the hall. 'Madam Pomfrey is by the door and those of you with colour-changing skin will have to drink the potion she has ready. Prefects, if you could show the first years to their dorms please?' His gaze landed on me and I took that as my cue. Saying a quick, 'See you in a bit,' to my friends, I got up as Remus and Ashleigh did the same and started shouting, 'First years over here please!'

Once we were sure we weren't missing any first years, we began the trek up to the seventh floor. Remus murmured something about feeling like the Pied Piper and I laughed. I loved this part of my job as a prefect. Muggle-born or not, every first year was fascinated by their first walk around Hogwarts, and seeing the wonder in their faces made me grin.

"Lily?" Johanna, the first year from earlier, appeared at my side.

"Yes Johanna?" I said, smiling down at her.

"It was those boys again, wasn't it? The ones who got everyone in the lake. They made people fly and change colours."

I sighed. "Yes it was Jo,' I said. "Get used to it; their pranks are a regular thing."

Johanna giggled as we neared the portrait and I turned to Remus for the password; I must have missed it.

"Spacehoppers," Remus said, and the Fat Lady's portrait swung open, revealing the Gryffindor common room. As I stepped inside, I felt an overwhelming sense of home. I closed my eyes and concentrated on being back for a moment, before turning back to Remus and Ashleigh to help out with the first years- Jamie still hadn't returned.

After showing all the first years to their dorms, making sure they were all settled and saying goodnight to Ashleigh, I was knackered when it was finally time for us to get to bed.

Remus yawned as we stood in the empty common room together.

"So, first year of NEWTs, Miss Evans."

"Indeed, Mr Lupin," I sighed and rubbed my temples. Back when I was a first year, I could do all my homework at once and then have all the time in the world. Over the years however, I'd been slowly losing my willpower and my workload had got heavier. I wasn't looking forward to more of that at all.

Remus read my mind. "I know, I'm not looking forward to it either."

We looked at each other for a moment before Remus put an arm around me.

"Time we went to bed, I think," he said, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

"Definitely," I murmured. After saying goodnight and climbing the stairs to my dorm, I opened the door to see the most beautiful thing in the world sitting in front of my: _my bed._ Noticing the snoring coming from Julia and Leila's direction, I realised the girls hadn't waited up for me, but I didn't mind. I didn't blame them. Stripping down to some shorts and a vest-top, I climbed into bed and was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

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><p><strong>AN: It's finally finished! It's late here so I apologise for any crappy writing, Ashleigh is tired! And yes I rushed the ending, I had nothing major to write so don't hate me! Night everyone, thanks for reading! c:**


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